That seems to sum up the thoughts that have been going through my head this last month as I thought about what to write in a year-end recap post.
I narrowed it down to 2 major events that happened in my life in 2009, so this post will be a 2 part-er. One today and one tomorrow!
The first major thing that happened in my life was that I decided to commit to photography!
Last April I contacted Gabriel Ryan Photographers to see if I could get together with them and just talk about photography. At the time I didn't know if I even wanted to be a photographer anymore. To be honest I didn't know how to begin to try to build a business and I had had a couple bad experiences that left me burned out before I started.
They were so awesome and encouraging and gave me such incredible advice that I left there feeling totally inspired and ready to work hard to make the dream that I had almost given up on become a reality. They also gave me a ton of resources to educate myself on business and more of the technical aspect of photography.
The most important thing they gave me was permission to be myself. I think I spent too much time trying to be all things to all people, so I wasn't having fun anymore. They showed me that if I shoot what I like I will attract people who like my style. They will have confidence in me because they like my work and I will enjoy my job because I have clients who like what I do. That's such a simple concept, I don't know why I didn't get it before!
Since April most of my evenings and weekends have been spent reading, shooting, editing, learning, growing and loving every minute of it. I finally feel like I have a career I am working towards that suits me. In all of my jobs until photography I have always felt somewhat inadequate. Now I know what I am supposed to do with my life and how I can make a difference in other people's lives through photography. That's is all I've ever wanted out of a career.
As a thank you to those who have helped me and as a way to maybe help other young photographers such as myself I want to list the people who have been influential in this first year of photography.
-All of my friends who let me photograph them to build my portfolio. Thank you, thank you, thank you! What is an artist without a muse?
-Gabriel Ryan Photographers: You already know how much I like them!
-Jasmine Star: Not only is she an all around rad person who constantly challenges me to be kinder, funnier and all around better, but she has a whole series of FAQ posts on her blog that have totally clued me in to technical stuff I need to know.
-The Wedding Cabaret: The first professional wedding blogger who commented on one of my posts. I was walking in the clouds all day!
-Nicole Glenn: I talked about her in one of my "5 Things I Love!" posts, but she deserves another shout out. We became friends through the blogging and she is one of the kindest most generous people I know. Plus she is a killer photographer. I can't wait until she is a famous celebrity photographer and I can say I knew her before the hype!
-Matthew Morgan: He is one of the few people who actually let me come along and shoot with him. He inspires me by using his photography to reach out to his community and the world to bring awareness and show love and kindness to people who would be considered an outcast by most. Now that is radness in action!
There are a ton more people I should be listing, but this post is already becoming dangerously long. Happy New Year! I hope your evening doesn't look a thing like this:
oh yes, good times... :)
So glad we are on this journey together! Thanks for making me seem cooler than I am. :) I hope the holidays treated you well! We need to catch up. Soon!